Sparking apparatus.



H. F. WHALTON. SPARKING APPARATUS. APPLIGATION FILED JUNE 12,1911.

Patented Jan. 2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 1.

W I A E fl/%% W H. 1. W'HALTON;

S PARKING APPARATUS, APPLICATION FILED JUNE 12, 1911.

' 1 111911 811 Jan. 2, 1912.

2 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

amen whoa UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

HILARY r. WHALTON, or KEY wnsr, FLORIDA.

SPARRING nrranarus.

- Specification of Letters Patent.

Patented Jan. 2,1912.

Application filed June 12,1911, Serial No. 632,654.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, HILARY F. WHALTON, a citizen of the United States, residing at Key W est, in the county of Monroe and State of Florida, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Sparking Aparat-us; and I do herebydeclare the followmg to be a full, clear, and exactdescription;

of the invention, such as will enable others skilled in the art to which it appei'tains to [make and use the same. v

' This invention-relates to" sparking app ratus for supplying current to the spark plugs of internal combustion engines having several cylinders; and it consists in the novel construction and combination of the parts hereinafter fullydescribed and claimed whereby, the spark-plugspf thebylin'drs are operated one'a'fter another by 'a' single spark-coiL' In the drawings, Figure 1 is a longitudi nal section through the tinier of a sparking apparatus, constructed according to. this inventioi'l, Fig. 255 a "cross-section taken on the line c m in; Fig. 1. 3 is a diagram of the complete apparatus is tric circuits, w

fIhe driving shaft 2 of the timer is journaled in a suitable-stationary bearing. or bearings 33, and isjprovidedfiwith a toothed driving wheel ,4, ofany: approved mechanism, for .connectin-git positively, with the engine crank shaft, so that theshaft 2 always 'revolves at the same relative speed as the enginecrankshaft. A core or sleet/e561? insulating material is secured on the shaft 2, and: 'isprovided with twofdisk's 6 and 7 also of insulating material; A metallic ring.8 is

secured-on the core 5; A metallic contactplate 9 is let into and secured on one side of the disk 6, and a similar metallic contact-- plate 10' is let into and'secured on thercorresponding .jside of the disk 7, but "the plate 10 is longer than the'plate9 and is arranged r to project beyond itrat each end. The timer cylinder 11 is also formed of insulating material, and it' is arrangedto inclose or en circle the timersleeva The timer'cylinder is rpvided at one end with a shaft orv ivot 12 mounted to oscillate in a stationary a earing 13. A hand1e14 is secured on the shaft A 5 it preferably I r i iwthn 1 1 n c 12 and is",provided with'al ckingdevice for securingit to the bearing This lockingdevice is of any approved construction, and consists of a spring tongue '15 owing .thefelecengages with holes or notches in'a platejl? secured to the said bearing. v

The engine may have anynumber of power cylinders, and, for illustration, portions of three power cylinders 18, 19, and

20,,are shown, having spark-plugs 21,252, I

and 23,. respectively. One electrode of each spark-plug is connected to the ground G.

The'timer cylinder 11 has three similar.

contact-brushes 24, arranged around its periphery at equal distances apart and hearing on the disk 6. These contact-brushes are slidable in guides 25 having binding; screws 26, and 2 are springs .in the guides which press the brushes against the periphs 'ery of the disk and the contact-plate 9. A battery 28 is provided, and 30 is a wire which'connects the positive pole of the battery with the three brushes 24 in series. A wire 31 connects the contact-plate 9 with the shaft 12 which is not insulated'from' the ground, A spark-coil 32 of-anyf approved "construction is provided, and its primary wlndmg is connected to the negative pole,

of the battery by a wire 33 and to the ground by a wire 34 so as 5 to form a'low tension cir cuit.- The timer cylinder 11 has also three s ring-pressed contact-brushes 35, 36, and 3 allof which. are similar to thejbr'ushes 24, and which are arranged at equal distances apart around the periphery of the cylinder. These brushes bear against theperiphery of the disk 7 and its contactplate'10. The brushes .35, 36, and 37, are connected to the spark-plugs of the. power cylinders 18, 19, and 20, by wires 38, 39,

and'40, respectively. The metallic ring 8 isconnected to the metallic contact-plate 10 I by a wire '41. A spring-pressed contact- 'brush '42, also similar to the brushes 24, is

24, and through the metallic plate 9 and wire 31'to ground; thence to the primary,

winding of the spark-coilby wire 34, and to the negative pole of the battery b the wire 33. Each time the spark-coil i energized the high tension current flows from it through wire 43 and brush 42 to the. metallic ring 8, and thence to the metallic contact-plate 10 by wire ll. The high tension current is caused to flow to the spark-plugs one after the other, and thence to ground, by the three brushes which come in contact with the plate 10 one after the other.

The contact-plate 10 is made longer than the contact-plate 9 to avoid sparking at the brushes of the high tension circuit, the contact-plate 10 being always in contact with one or another of the brushes pertaining to it at the times when the low pressure circuit is made and broken.

Then the sparking apparatus is construct: ed in this manner two or more spark-plugs can be operated by a single spark-coil and battery.

When the engine has a multiplicity of cylinders the wiring of its sparlcplugs is thereby greatly simplified, and the apparatus is much less liable to get out of order than when a separate spark-coil is provided for each power cylinder. The spark-plugs can be operated sooner or later by moving the handle14 to adjust the position of the timer cylinder circumferentially of the timer sleeve.

What I claim is:

1: In, a sparkin apparatus, the combination, with a cylin er of insulating material, of a sleeve of insulating material provided with means for revolving it and journaled inside and concentric with the said-cylinder,

I a contact ring secured on the said sleeve, a

timer disk and a distributer disk secured s de by side on the said sleeve and each pro.- vided' with a contact plate at' its periphery,

the timer contact plate being arranged con- I stantly in circuit with the said ring and the distributercontact plate having an earth connection,'a spark coil, a brush carried by the said cylinder in contact with the said ring and connected to the secondary winding of the spark coil, a series of brushes for conand a second series of brushes carried by. the

cylinder and engaged one after another by the distributer contact plate and connected with the primary winding of the spark coil.

2. In a sparking apparatus, the combination, with a support having two bearings arranged axially in line with each other, of an adjustable cylinder of insulating material provided at one end with a shaft which is journaled in one of the bearings, means for securing the cylinder in position, a driving shaft journaled in the other bearing, a sleeve of insulating material secured to the said driving-shaft and arranged inside the said cylinder, a contact ring secured on the said sleeve, a timer disk and a distributer disk secured side by side on the said sleeve and each provided. with a contact plate at its periphery, the timer contact plate being arring and the distributer contact plate having an earth connection, a spark coil, a brush carried by the said cylinder in contact with the said ring and connected to the secondary winding of the spark coil, a series of brushes for connection with the spark ranged constantly in circuit with the said plugs, said brushes being carried by the cylinder and engaged one after the other by.

the timer contact plate, and a second series of brushes carried by the cylinder and engaged one after another by the distributer contact plate and connected with the pri-' mary winding of the spark coil.

In testimony whereofl have afiixed my signature in the presence of two witnesses. HILARY E l/VHALTON,

Witnesses: v a

J. N. Fooanry, WLJ. BRYSON.

Copies of this patent may be obtained. for

five cents each, by addressing the Commissioner of Patents, Washington, D. G. 1 

